A Preview Of Week 1

Around noon in these parts, the Bucs will have to hit the ground running against what will be one of the few teams they are supposed to be able to beat while the sobering reality of the impatience of NFL fans will resonate across the Tampa Bay region.

One of the biggest stories of the off-season has been the Bucs’ addition of rookie starters to an already young team. The height of McCoy and Mike Williams on the depth cart has less to do with some sort of contentment to rebuild and more to do with where they are at.

While going 4-0 to finish their season, Cleveland ran the ball very well. That’s the one thing the Bucs may have problems with, along with having a new punter who needs to kick away from Josh Cribbs. The Cleveland defense was pretty bad last year and hasn’t gotten much better, while they did add LB Scott Fujita. This defense of the Browns rested on the coattails of 167 or more rushing yards in each game of their streak.

The new season is a chance for Raheem to make more of a name for himself to the mainstream media that skirts over his playcalling success and either chooses rather to focus on his age and the chest-bumping.

After beating this Cleveland team and getting revenge on Jake Delhomme, what’s next most important for this team is to at least show the trademark Bucs physicality. The young players are ready to shine. They have worked hard for their opportunity all throughout this offseason and are ready to put emerge from the cellar with a swagger infectious on both sides of the ball.

Prediction: Josh Freeman leads the team in the 3rd quarter on a methodical drive to move ahead by 14 and provide the defense the cushion they need. Buccaneers 28, Browns 20.